Blackout
by Sinestra
Summary: He hadn't expected to land in Soul Society at all. He had expected to go to Avalon or Heaven, just not Rukongai, which was nothing like what he imagined the afterlife to be.
1. Bonnie

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter. If I did, he and I would be getting down and dirty.

I don't own Bleach either. It looks like Kubo Tite does. Have you seen his hair?

* * *

The day was bright and the residents of Western Rukongai buzzed happily as they did their daily chores. They bargained over the price of clothes and browsed through the stalls idly. Money was exchanged and people walked away with lighter pockets. It was on this day that Shiba Ganju decided to take his pet boar Bonnie out for a walk.

Well, Bonnie was running and Ganju was chasing after her.

The boar snorted and squealed as she knocked people off their feet, causing amusement in the locals and irritation in her victims. Ganju shouted apologies in between his desperate calls for Bonnie to stop. It was his daily routine. Wake up, get pounded by evil sister, feed himself, feed Bonnie, and make sure the fat thing doesn't die from heart failure by taking her out for a walk.

He sighed mentally and wished that his life were more interesting.

Bonnie's squeals and snorts increased in volume and frequency. Ganju rolled his eyes and prepared for the worst. The last time he took Bonnie out for a 'walk' she knocked over four stands. He was forced to pay for the damages and went home to an angry sister.

He was caught up to the boar and dived with his arms stretched out, only to miss and land face-flat on the ground. With his face and ego sore, he groaned and looked up just in time to see Bonnie leap onto a stranger who let out a surprised shout as he was tackled to the ground.

_Shit,_ he grimaced._ Nee-san is not going to like this._

He got up and walked over to the boar whose tail wagged wildly. "Sorry about that," he said to the stranger as he tried to pull Bonnie away. "She's not usually this excited." He grabbed her by the horns and pulled her off the man. "Must have been something she a-"

Standing in front of him was a carbon copy of his dead brother.

* * *

The day was bright and the residents of Western Rukongai buzzed happily as they did their daily chores. They bargained over the price of clothes and browsed through the stalls idly. Money was exchanged and people walked away with lighter pockets. Harry Potter – or Kaito as he called himself now – was one of the many aforementioned people on the street.

His life had always been chaotic, so he always treasured the periods of peace like he would to his own children. It had been six years since he died. Those six years had been more confusing than Hagrid's conception.

When he came to Soul Society he didn't know a speck of Japanese. _Chin chin, konnichiwa _and _watashi wa hentai desu_ didn't count. His first few conversations had been awkward because he hadn't been able to respond. At the time he was considered either slow or mentally retarded to those he met. It was one of the reasons why he pushed himself so hard to learn the language.

He hadn't expected to land in Soul Society at all. He had expected to go to Avalon or Heaven, just not Rukongai, which was nothing like what he imagined the afterlife to be.

He'd been disappointed, but he moved on.

Soul Society was a lot like the Human World. Despite the lack of cars and the fact that almost nobody got hungry, this afterlife was just as cruel. No one gave two shits about you if you weren't important and generally turned a blind eye to things unless it slapped them in the face.

Harry's new life in Soul Society wasn't entirely negative though. After he got over the language barrier he opened a business, had a makeshift family and led a generally peaceful life. He lived in one of the safer districts in _Hokutan_, a far cry from _Zaraki. _Not that he would know, he hadn't been that far and didn't plan to.

Life was good. Sometimes, boars tackled him. He tried not to be surprised anymore.

* * *

Ganju stared open-mouthed at the man as he brushed dirt off his dark yukata. His grip on Bonnie loosened, subjecting the man to an armful of boar. Bonnie's snorts had yet to stop.

"It's alright," the man said while trying to push off the boar. "It's not your fault."

Ganju blinked owlishly as Bonnie pressed her snout into the man's hand, "Oh – right."

The man stroked the boar with a small smile, "Well, it was nice meeting you." Bonnie nuzzled against the hand as her tail wagged.

Ganju returned the smile with a strained one, "Yeah. Same here."

The man pulled away from, causing the boar to demand his attention but he paid no heed. Instead he straightened his yukata and picked up his grocery bags. "See you 'round," he smiled as he walked away.

Ganju watched his figure become smaller before he gripped Bonnie by the ribbon tied to her back. "Come on, let's go."

* * *

Harry made his way back to his home, musing over the fact that a boar had tackled him. It wasn't long before he was at the doorstep slipping off his sandals. He made his way through the hallway, "I'm home!" His call was followed by the sound of stumbling and excited shouts.

"Papa!"

"Tou-san!"

And for the second time that day, he was tackled. Harry lost his balance and dropped his groceries and landed on his rear. The two boys talked over each other, both of them vying for his attention.

"Papa! Guess what! Guess what!"

"Granny said that- "

"Today I went with Shibata-kun to-"

"I don't want to get pregnant! Granny's ly-"

"And we found a pond! And it had lots of-"

Harry rolled his eyes and pushed the boys off him and stood up. "Why don't you help me with the bags and tell me on the way?"

The boys obediently took one bag each while Harry took the rest. He ruffled their hair and made his way to the kitchen.

"Anyway, Granny always lies to me!"

"Hey! It's my turn to talk!"

"No it isn't!"

"Yes it is!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

Harry ignored their argument and placed the bags on the counter. The boys followed his example and helped him place the items in cabinets. One of the boys crumpled one of the paper bags and hurled it at the other. Harry rolled his eyes and whacked both of them on the head.

"Ow!"

"What did _I_ do?"

He scowled at them, "What did I say about fighting?" He asked as he crossed his arms.

"Take it outside," they chorused petulantly.

He raised an eyebrow at them, "Well?" The two boys glanced at each other and ran out of the kitchen. _Idiots, _he thought with a grin.

* * *

A frown marred his face as Ganju walked home. His companion, Bonnie, walked by him and a strangely calm manner. Ganju was too lost in his own thoughts to notice.

_That couldn't have been aniki; he died a long time ago._

His pace slowed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. Nightfall was approaching and the crickets began their chirping.

_That's right, _he assured himself. _Aniki is dead. It was just someone who looked a lot like aniki. _He tucked his hands into his pockets and looked up at the orange sky. _Besides, it's not like I'm going to see him again._

He didn't notice that Bonnie had slipped away.


	2. Roast Pork

A single candle lit the room, casting shadows over the three figures in it. Two of them lay on _tatami_ and the other sat next to them, speaking in a soft voice. A quiet yawn was heard and the sound of rustling blankets followed. The soft voice stopped for a moment before it's owner leaned over and fixed the blanket.

"Papa?" A childish voice mumbled.

The father hummed and stroked the boy's fair hair. "Go back to sleep, Katsu."

Katsu mumbled incoherently as his lids slowly shut. Harry smiled and turned his attention towards the other figure, who blinked at him drowsily.

"Tou-san," the boy whispered.

In response, Harry moved to sit next to the boy who rolled over to face him. A small hand crept out and pulled at his sleeve.

"Tell me more," the boy demanded, his blue eyes intent. Harry obliged and began his story.

"Well, after his first year at school, Daisuke went home to his family…"

* * *

Harry blew out the candle and walked out of the darkened room. He slid the door shut and walked down the hallway with the intent of getting some fresh air. The night was quiet; its only interruption was the sound of crickets chirping and the soft breeze that made the trees chatter quietly. The stars and the moon shone brightly, their light cast shadows on the land and coloured the sky.

He sat down on the porch facing the garden. A smaller figure joined him moments later. Both of them sat in a comfortable silence, both of them content to wander in their thoughts.

Harry was always the first to break the silence. Today wasn't any different.

"It's getting late," he said.

"So it is," an aged, feminine voice replied. "Did you buy any watermelons?"

"Yeah."

They lapsed into silence. His companion was old and frail looking. Her grey hair was tied up in a bun on top of her head. Her wrinkled hands were folded in her lap and a pair of glasses sat on the bridge of her nose.

"There's a boar in your room, Kaito," she said casually.

"What?" Harry blinked. "Why?"

"It was cute." She replied with a wide grin.

* * *

He walked into his room and glanced around. Everything seemed fine. Nothing was out of place – his bookcase was still a bookcase and his table was still a table. He walked over and lit the lantern on the table. It took a few seconds before he was adjusted to the brightness, but when he was, he groaned.

The boar had somehow managed to drag out a _futon_ from the closet and was now sleeping on it.

Harry took quick strides and stared at the boar. It was sleeping on its side and snoring loudly. He felt his eyebrow twitch and moved to push the boar off his futon.

The boar hadn't moved an inch.

Undeterred, Harry rolled up the sleeves of his yukata and pushed with all his might. He continued to push until he gave up and gave the boar a hard slap on the belly.

"God damn it! Wake up Bonnie!"

Bonnie merely opened her eyes and stared at him before she moved off the futon and lay on the floor. She promptly fell asleep with her head between her two front legs.

Harry huffed and grabbed a pillow from the closet. After closing the closet, he gathered his blanket and dropped both of them on the futon. He glared at the boar and moved his futon away from it. As he made his bed, he glanced at the boar wearily. He hoped the thing wouldn't suffocate him while he slept.

He left the room to bid Granny goodnight. When he returned, the boar lay next to the futon. Harry sighed and blew out the lantern before going to sleep.

* * *

The sun rose from the east like it did every other day. In some parts of Rukongai, people went to sleep after a long night of drinking. In others, the working class woke up to get ready for their tasks. The luckier citizens slept in, unaware of the movement that the sun had caused.

However, Harry was part of the working class that had to wake up early. Luckily, he hadn't been killed during his sleep. He looked at the boar sleeping next to him and quirked his lips. _I'm going to have to agree with Granny on this one,_ he thought.

He got up and dressed in his customary dark blue yukata. He packed away his bed and left his room, sparing a small pat for the boar.

Harry opened the door to his children's rooms and walked in. As usual, Katsu had thrown his blanket off him and curled around it with his backside exposed. Takeshi slept with half of his body on the floor and the other half on his bed. Harry kissed their foreheads after he tucked them in.

Knowing that Granny wasn't a reckless sleeper, he walked to the kitchen and grabbed an apple to eat while he moved around his home, collecting his keys, his money pouch and a drawstring bag.

He checked his room and found that the boar was awake. The boar got up and trotted up to him, wagging her tail like a dog. Harry moved aside so the boar could stand in the hallway. He glanced at her and closed his door.

"I suppose you're hungry…" he began

The boar snorted and swished its tail. Harry walked back into the kitchen and gave it a bunch of grapes. While the boar chewed on it, he walked to the entryway and slipped on his sandals. He was in the middle of tying them when he heard footsteps approaching.

Harry stood up and turned around, "You know, you can't come to work with me…"

Bonnie snorted and pushed her snout against his leg. He automatically stroked the boar.

"Shouldn't you be with your owner?" He rubbed his neck and shrugged. It'd be better if he stayed with the boar. He didn't want the kids to be distracted while Granny taught them.

He stopped petting the boar and made his way to the door. He opened it and let Bonnie walk out first before locking it. He made his way to the business district with the large boar. She would occasionally wander about and sniff things, but she'd always come back.

When they reached his shop, he unlocked it and began setting it up. The shop had an inviting look. The walls were dark green and the polished shelves were made from cedar. _Health Care Pharmacy_ was a respectable shop that stood next to _Novelty Fabrics_ and _Nishimura's Tea House. _ The reason why everyone opened early was because of the shinigami. The shinigami came down to buy cheaper products and spend some time relaxing before their duties called for them.

Today wasn't any different – other than the fact that he had a boar wandering in and out of his shop.

Not long after he'd opened, a pair of female shinigami wandered into his shop and headed towards the beauty section. His shop never used to stock up on cosmetics, but since he moved to _Hokutan_, he found that he'd had to change his stock to fit his customers. District 64 of North Rukongai appreciated having bandages and painkillers.

When the two shinigami approached him, he greeted them with a polite smile and name the price of the nail filer and cosmetics bag that they were holding. Money was exchanged and the two shinigami left the shop in giggles.

It was around midday when things got exciting.

The shinigami had all but left and the citizens of Upper Western Rukongai had taken over. Like the day before, people buzzed cheerfully as they did their chores and shopped for pleasure. Like the day before, Ganju made his presence known to all.

"Bonnie-chan!" He called out.

Ganju had spent most of his time looking for Bonnie. Last night, he'd been sure that she would return to him before he woke up like she always did. His sister hadn't been concerned when he told her that the boar was missing, but he was. Bonnie and Ganju had spent over 50 years together since his brother had died.

But their bond was nothing compared to the one Bonnie shared with Kaien. Her mother had abandoned her when she was a piglet after she'd been wounded. Kaien had been the one to find her in the bushes where she had hidden herself. He was the one who carried the piglet home and saved her.

The only reason Bonnie would leave would be because of the man who looked like Kaien.

Ganju didn't know if he wanted to see him again.

* * *

Ganju caught sight of Bonnie's swishing tail and sped up to keep it in sight. His change of pace caused him to bump into people. He grunted out apologies without looking away from his target.

He saw the boar trot into a shop and groaned internally. _Please don't destroy that shop._

As he approached he glanced at the sign, which read _Health Care Pharmacy._ He winced and entered the store. He immediately searched for the boar and found him standing next to two men.

One was unfamiliar and the other was painfully so.

Ganju snapped out of his daze when the two men finished their conversation and walked to the cash register. Bonnie followed and stood with the look-alike brother behind the counter. Soon after, the customer left with a small bag.

The man looked up as Ganju approached him. Ganju rubbed his neck nervously as he stood by the counter.

"Aren't you that guy from yesterday?" The man asked with a politely.

"Ah yeah…" His ears felt hot. "Do you happen to have my boar?"

"Yeah. She stayed at my place for the night." He said as he led the boar towards Ganju. She snorted and bumped her snout against his legs.

"Sorry for the inconvenience," Ganju replied little stiffly.

"It's alright," he said as he held his hand out. "The name's Kaito."

Ganju gripped his hand. "Ganju," he grunted.

"And this must be Bonnie, right?" Kaito said as he rubbed the boar's ears.

"How did you know her name?" He asked, startled.

Kaito adopted a thoughtful expression, "Didn't you tell me? Or maybe it was one of my customers…"

Ganju brushed it off, "I have to get going now. It was nice meeting you, Kaito-san."

"Same here, Ganju-san."

The farewell would have gone smoothly if Bonnie had co-operated.

Kaito chuckled and shoved Bonnie in Ganju's general direction. "Go home, you fat pig. I'm sure Ganju has missed you."

Bonnie snorted and walked up to Ganju with an agitated swish of her tail. Ganju gave a polite smile as he walked out of the shop with Bonnie at his side.

"I'm going to eat you if you run off again," he muttered.

The boar flicked her ear and snorted.

* * *

**Disclaimer:** I don't own J.K. Rowling or Kubo Tite. Damn.

**A/N:** Thanks to the people who reviewed. You get a virtual hug.


	3. Soon

Bonnie ended up following the man around every day - and without fail, Ganju would be right behind her. That man who looked exactly like his _aniki_ - that man whose name was so similar. _Kaito. Kaien._ There were many occasions where Ganju almost let his tongue slip and each time he'd feel the guilt build up inside of him like poison. Each time he'd tell himself that he _wasn't_ pretending that this man was his brother. It was wrong - it made himself feel disgusted with himself. He was disrespecting his brother - his _dead _brother.

Every day - without fail - Ganju grew closer to that man. _Kaito._ Every day - even with the lingering guilt - he felt happier than he had ever been. And he just couldn't ignore that. He'd tried - he really did.

It was all Bonnie's fault anyway.

He didn't tell anyone about Kaito. Not even his sister. Ganju knew that she'd berate him and tell him things that he already knew. She'd yell at him for being stubborn and look down on him as she did.

So he pretended that nothing was wrong. He pretended that Kaito's children were _Kaien's children._ He pretended that Miyako - Kaien's wife - was the only one to die that night. He became selfish - and sometimes, when it was quiet and dark, he would lie to himself and say, _"Everything is fine. Aniki is alive."_

"...Ganju-kun?" A familiar voice called. It was Kaito again - only this time, instead of Ganju being the one to approach the other, it was the other way around. Ganju gave a little smile and made a motion with his hands, telling Kaito to sit beside him.

"Kai - er, Kaito-san," he amended, "what do you want? I mean - why are you here?" Ganju's words stumbled over each other eagerly, and this caused Kaito to grin a little - Ganju's awkward manner had become familiar with him.

"Oh nothing," he grinned wider, "I've just dumped the little ones onto granny, so I've got some free time." Kaito fiddled with the hem of his yukata, Ganju just looked into the distance. The both of them sat on the edge of a small cliff that overlooked the town that Kaito lived in. West Rukongai was quiet the site - the sun shone bright, the sky blue with a smattering of clouds and the town buzzed and busied itself.

In contrast, the two figures of Kaito and Ganju sat on the cliff - it had small patches of grass and weeds. The two of them allowed themselves to drift in silence, neither bothering to break it. The wind did not caress them today. Everything was quiet and still on the cliff, as it should be.

Quietly - almost carefully - Kaito spoke, "Do you have a family of your own?"

Ganju started, "Um, yeah. Just my sister though..." Ganju gave a quick glance at Kaito and looked back at the town, "I used to have an older brother...he was a shinigami." Once again Ganju's eyes flickered over to Kaito.

"Oh, really?" Kaito replied, and for some reason, his polite concern disappointed Ganju. "What happened?"

"He died," Ganju said bluntly. _He died._ And those were his final words on the matter. No more lingering flickers of hope.

But Ganju's eyes still wandered and stared at Kaito's figure.

* * *

Kaito - Harry - Kaien - whatever his name was closed the door to his room and slid down against it. He let out a defeated sigh and rubbed his tired eyes with his fingers. He let himself rest there for a moment before walking to his chair by the desk to sit down. The room was lit by the setting sun which shine through the window.

Kaito knew, Harry knew. He knew it all. He was Kaien. He _was_ Kaien. In a past life, he died. In the life after that he became Harry Potter. He lived as that person for over two decades in which he died several times before dying the final time, when he was sent to Soul Society.

No shinigami greeted him when he died, and none appeared to him when he came to Soul Society to allocate a district for him to live in. He knew it should have happened, and he'd known why he hadn't for a while now.

Harry had sent _himself_ to Soul Society. He hadn't remembered when he arrived District 75 of Rukongai - not until he'd met Ganju. Ganju - his own little brother, someone he had loved dearly, once upon a time.

He couldn't tell them, or anyone else. They were from his _other_ life, and he had no say - he had no _right_ to sway them when they were from _another life._

Harry knew, and the knowledge was eating him from the inside out.

* * *

Even with his inner turmoil, Harry continued to act normally. He took care of his two children, Katsu and Takeshi, as well as granny - at least when she allowed him to. In the end, he put the matter at the back of his mind and decided to move on with the best of his ability. He continued to run his pharmacy and make small talk with the customers.

As per usual, his first customers were two female shinigami who browsed through his store, looking at nothing in particular. Occasionally, they sneaked a glance at Harry and giggled. Harry rolled his eyes when they looked away, but found himself enjoying his routine. He turned away from them and rummaged through some receipts under the counter, so he could _at least_ feel a little less bored.

Usually, the shinigami came and left with a few words to him - other times they'd purchase some of his herbs before leaving, but today a pink clad man with a straw hat came and interrupted them.

"Aha! So this is where you've been going all this time!" He yelled dramatically, "Why? Am I not lovely enough?"

The two women sighed exasperatedly. One turned away and continued to browse and the other looked at the man, "Taicho, we always go here and..._please_...where is Nanao-fukutaicho?"

"_Oh,_ her? I'm mad at her." The apparent captain said with a pout, "She says that stealing someone's clothes while they're bathing isn't polite. _Psh,_ where _I_ come from, it's perfectly normal."

"...not everyone are from where you're from," the woman said. "Excuse me while I finish making my purchase," and with that, she grabbed a bag of herbs and walked to the front counter.

It was not until then that the pink-clad captain fully looked at Harry, and it was to no surprise that he stared with surprise before looking away.

"Kaito-san, these herbs please," the woman said.

"70 Kan, please," he said with a pleasant smile. The money was exchanged and the two female shinigami left with a short farewell to both men. The captain stayed behind and browsed the store, while Harry busied himself with measuring various powders and herbs.

Eventually, the pink-clad captain approached Harry and leaned on the counter. "Nice store."

"Um, thanks." Harry looked at him inquiringly.

"So...Kaito huh?" He said as he took off his hat and placed it on the counter, "no last name?"

"None that I can remember," Harry replied impassively, "Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Ah yes, what type of things do you sell?" He asked as he scanned Harry and the surroundings up and down.

Harry gave small, genuine smile as he began explaining, "I sell herbs, powders and medicines that help with sickness, wounds and such, but the majority what I sell are tea leaves that help people relax. Not many people get sick or wounded here, so that's what I sell mostly."

"Then why sell medicine at all? It's not very useful to the people in this district," the man said.

"Well, mainly for the occasional person with reiatsu, or the occasional shinigami like yourself," Harry replied. "Anything else that requires my assistance?"

"No, thank you," the man said as he grabbed his hat off the counter, "I'll see you soon, Kaito-san." He left with a small goodbye from Harry, who couldn't stop his last words echoing in his mind.

_I'll see you soon._


	4. Confrontation

The day would come whether he was ready or not, and he would have no choice but to let his heart and mind loose. No choice but to give in - for all that he was Harry, he was also Kaien. Two separate beings, both from the same soul. His mind was restless, his heart tired. He wished to stay selfishly in the present and blind himself from his future, but a restless mind was not kind - was not forgiving.

Harry could feel the day come as the man, Kyoraku, came and went from his humble shop. He asked more questions and became less open as the days went by. Kyoraku shut himself up from Harry, and Harry did the same. It wasn't the same - with Ganju, things were light-hearted. With Kyoraku, things were tense, although that was blanketed by a façade of politeness.

He was restless. The day was approaching, and soon Ukitake - his leader, his _nakama_ - would walk through those doors.

* * *

"Up you get, Takeshi!" Harry yelled as he shook the boy, "Didn't you want to help me with the store?" He grinned widely as the boy groaned and rolled over. Not to be outdone, Harry climbed under the sheets and hugged his son.

"Tou-san...ten minutes please..." Takeshi mumbled, which was understandable, since it was five in the morning and the sun had yet to rise.

Harry readied his hands, "Sure...ten minutes of torture coming up!" And with that, he tickled his son who giggled loudly and began kicking his father. The boy struggled in his father's grip and kicked off the sheets in his effort to be free of him.

Eventually, Harry picked up his son and placed him on his feet. Takeshi stumbled a little as he shook off the last of his giggles. Harry gave him a large smile and told him to get ready. He packed away his son's futon and placed it inside the cupboard. And of course, he checked up on his other son, Katsu, who was awake from all the ruckus he'd caused.

"Papa..." The young boy trailed off as he poked his head out of the blankets. Harry gave a gentle smile and smoothed Katu's fair hair down. "I can't go back to sleep," Katsu said as he rubbed his eyes.

"I guess you're coming with us then," Harry replied and moved to grab his son by his arms and pulled him up. "Go get ready, and eat something if you're hungry, okay?"

Katsu grinned and gave Harry a sloppy kiss on the cheek, "Okay!"

Soon enough, both of the boys were ready with straw baskets in hand. Harry had his own basket resting on the crook of his arm. Together, they walked towards Mt. Koifushi as the sun began to rise slowly. The sky was coloured with red, orange and yellow by the time they reached a familiar meadow. Trees were scattered throughout the meadow, some bearing fruit and flowers or nuts, some of them not. Small shrubs gathered in clumps close to trees, others stood proudly in the sun's light. All in all, the meadow was large and a wonderful place to gather herbs.

By the end of their visit to the meadow, they had gathered enough herbs for the week (or three, considering that people hardly got sick here). They returned home, where Harry immediately put Katsu to bed. The boy had chosen to run around instead of helping the other two males.

Knowing that granny would soon be awake, he left home with Takeshi and opened his store. He let his son sit on the counter and watch him grind some previously dried herbs. Takeshi sorted out the herbs into boxes and labelled them. When he was done with that, Harry began to instruct him on which herbs were which and which ones to grind. Takeshi absorbed the knowledge like a fish to water and Harry felt himself glow with quiet pride.

As per usual, his first customers were the two female shinigami. The women browsed his store without buying anything, but left with cheerful goodbyes. They both promised to visit again, as they always did.

It was around midday that Kyoraku visited - later than usual. But Harry knew why he was late as soon as he Kyoraku entered the store.

"Kaito-san! Good morning!" Kyoraku greeted with a beam as he walked up to the counter, "I want you to meet somebody, and it looks like you've got someone to introduce too!"

Kyoraku's false cheerfulness only served to make Harry feel nervous. With a calming breath, Harry smiled politely and turned to his son who smiled and waved at the two strangers shyly. "This is my son, Takeshi," he said briefly, "Takeshi, this is Kyoraku-san and..."

The white-haired man gave an equally polite smile, "My name is Ukitake Jushiro. Nice to meet you." And with that, the two men shook hands firmly. Katsu, oblivious to the stiff atmosphere that surrounded the three men, merely gave a quiet 'nice to meet you' after his father had done so.

"So...what can I do for you today?" Harry began, "anything in particular?"

"Well, I'd like some meadowsweet please," Kyoraku said. Harry smiled and turned to a tall wall of drawers and pulled out one and set it on the counter.

"How much? Which parts?" Harry asked quickly.

"Enough for a week. The roots and the flowers," Kyoraku replied.

While they were talking Ukitake remained silent and watched Kaito with sad eyes. He paid no mind the conversation taking place. Instead, he focused his attentions to Katsu who was busying himself with laying out paper bags and handing two to his father.

When Kyoraku and Harry stopped exchanging replies, Katsu spoke up, "what's meadowsweet for?"

Harry loosened up as he spoke to his son, "Depends on what part you use; but it's a pain reliever and it helps with fevers, inflammation, headaches, nausea and diarrhoea." He glanced at his son who nodded and fell silent again. He finished packing the herbs into their respective bags and handed them over, "Chew the roots to relieve your headaches and boil the flowers before drinking." He instructed the man. "That'll be 130 Kan."

As Kyoraku handed over the money, his stare intensified. "They're not for me."

Harry feigned interest, having already known who they were for, "Oh? Who?"

"My friend over here," Kyoraku said blandly, and naturally Harry's eyes trailed over to Ukitake.

Without a misstep, Harry said, "Well then, I wish you good health."

"Ah, thank you, Kaito-san." Ukitake replied with mild surprise as Kyoraku gave him the paper bags. "If you don't mind me asking, where do you get most of your profit from? I know that most people here don't get sick often, if at all."

Harry brushed off Kyoraku's stare and replied, "Most of my tea leaves go to the tea house down the road, since I grow my own tea leaves."

"The big one?" Ukitake asked.

"Yes, that one." An awkward silence followed. "Anything else?"

"...what?" Ukitake blinked in confusion, "Oh, nothing. I guess we'll be leaving now."

Once again, Harry smiled politely - something he felt he was doing more than usual. "Good day sirs, thank you for coming."

As they left, they heard a young voice call out, "thank you!"

* * *

It was not until they arrived at _Ugendo_, Ukitake's family estate, that the white haired man spoke. The bags of herbs had been given to a servant who disappeared off into the kitchen before returning with a pot of tea. Kyoraku and Ukitake sat patiently as a servant poured the tea and left. The tense atmosphere had not left them on their journey to his home, and it continued to reign as Ukitake blew on his tea and took a sip.

"Was _that_ what you wanted to show me?" Ukitake asked with a hint of irritation, swiping and tucking away the hair in front of his face behind his ear.

"Yes." Kyoraku said blankly.

"Why?" He asked as he took a calming sip of his tea. He could feel a headache approaching.

"Because I'm not about to let my guard down," Kyoraku said as he removed his hat, "not when _Aizen_ has just left us."

Ukitake frowned heavily, "Look, I understand -"

"No you don't, not when it comes to _him_," Kyoraku retorted, "You're still clouded by your own guilt."

They were interrupted by another servant, who placed a bottle of sake and a dish in front of Kyoraku before hurrying away. The two men waited until they could hear the servant's footsteps fading away until they spoke again.

"We've been over this many times, Shunsui," Ukitake said tiredly, "And you still haven't answered my question fully."

"I have. That _Kaito_ man looks too much like he did. From the hair, eyes, posture and stature," Kyoraku stated, leaving the sake untouched. "If that doesn't make you suspicious, then his guilty manner should."

"Guilty manner? I saw no such thing," Ukitake said. "He seemed fine to me."

"It's not immediately noticeable, but you're not the one who's been hanging around him for the past three weeks," Kyoraku paused to pour himself some sake. "And shut up, I'm not done talking."

Were it any other situation, Ukitake would have cracked a smile. He didn't, but he did as Kyoraku said and waited patiently for his friend to gulp down the sake.

"Yes, I have been purposefully seeking him out. I'm suspicious. I decided that I wanted you to know that I was suspicious, considering the fact that it concerns you too, " Kyoraku said, "And while you're silent, I'm going to go ahead and say that you _are_ guilty. You know that logically, you _aren't_. Regardless of that fact, you still suffer from survivor's guilt. You're not too different from that Kuchiki girl - the only difference is that you're centuries older than her." Kyoraku put his dish down and looked Ukitake in the eye.

Ukitake remained silent. He knew he'd lost this battle, it wasn't much of a battle anyway.

"Try to put it aside, Jushiro," Kyoraku said, "After all, you're far better at sensing reiatsu than I am, and you knew Kaien better than any of us."

Ukitake remained silent, but Kyoraku knew that he had acquiesced to his request.

* * *

Having already closed the store with his son, they both left while lanterns were lit by stores that catered to late night customers. By the time they left the shopping district, the whole street shone brightly and warmly. As they walked home, Takeshi began to tire, causing Harry to pick him up and carry him home. People walked calmly past them and Harry briefly thought about how different it was to District 75.

He discarded the thought when Takeshi mumbled into his ear, "Tou-san?"

"Yes, son?" He mumbled back.

"Don't be sad," Takeshi whispered, "You always look sad when you're alone." Harry couldn't help but be reminded of his son's innocence in that moment, especially when he sounded so small and fragile.

He smiled dejectedly, "I promise that I won't be sad anymore," he said. "Dad promises..."

Takeshi rested his head against his father's neck as his breathing slowed, "...'kay..."

Harry wouldn't be able to fulfil his promise and he knew. He only hoped that his son wouldn't have to see him like that ever again. His children meant the world to him - more than anyone from a past life - more than those he'd left behind.

He loved them with his whole being.


End file.
